PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
The definitive source for all PirateCrew news.
By JP Pelzman
COVID (and its omicron variant) permitting, here are some things to look for if No. 15 Seton Hall is able to tip off against No. 22 Providence next Wednesday in Providence.
How's Ike’s ankle? Seven-foot rim protector Ike Obiagu rolled his ankle five minutes into the victory against Texas on Dec. 9, and hasn’t played since that night. Seton Hall made it through that game by big-man committee and fortunately, the lack of his presence wasn’t all that noticeable three nights later against Rutgers and its mobile big, Cliff Omoruyi.
But Obiagu will be needed against Providence’s Nate Watson, who averages 14.8 points and shoots 62.1%, mostly from near the rim. He can be a post-up nightmare and if Obiagu can’t go, the Pirates likely will have to front and double him often.
One would believe that the 16 days between games will have given Obiagu’s ankle time to heal, considering it was estimated the injury would take a week to 10 days to get well.
Opponents harassing Harris. Jamir Harris has not been thus far the zonebuster the Pirates had been hoping for. Yes, he is shooting 36.4% from three-point range, but that figure is skewed by a 6-for-10 performance against Division 2 Nyack.
Worse yet, Harris is 3-for-18 (16.7%) from long distance against the five power-conference teams The Hall has played--Michigan, Ohio State, California, Texas and Rutgers.
True, the jump in competition from American to Seton Hall wasn’t expected to be easy, but it also wasn’t expected to be this difficult. Certainly, the defenders at the high-major level are better and the rotations and closeouts come faster. Harris and the Pirates have to figure this out because he is a key piece of this puzzle.
To be fair, it hasn't affected his attitude or intensity on defense.
Rhode trip. Seton Hall is 5-5 at Providence during coach Kevin Willard’s 12-year tenure. (The Pirates didn’t make the trip to Rhode Island in his first season.)
Breaking it down further, the Pirates are 3-5 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, the site of Wednesday’s 7 p.m. game, 1-0 at PC’s on-campus Alumni Hall, where they played last year in front of no fans, and 1-0 in games played at both sites.
That game, of course, was the infamous February 2018 contest when Desi Rodriguez slipped on the Dunkin’ Donuts Center court because of condensation produced by the ice underneath and unseasonably warm temperatures. Rodriguez suffered an ankle injury that sidelined him for three games and the contest was stopped and eventually finished on Providence’s campus the next day. Seton Hall’s win began a late-season surge that helped secure an NCAA tournament bid that had nearly slipped away.
Scouting the Friars. Besides Watson, the Friars have two other double-figure scorers in Indiana transfer Al Durham (12.9) and A.J. Reeves (11.2, 37.8% from three-point range). Their “glue guy” is super senior Noah Horchler (9.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 38.6% from three).
Providence (11-1, 1-0 Big East) jumped into the rankings on the strength of a 57-53 upset over Connecticut in Hartford on Saturday, the Friars’ most recent game. PC also owns a road win over Wisconsin. Its only loss was to Virginia in a tournament at the Prudential Center. Its contest against Georgetown on Wednesday was postponed because of the Hoyas' COVID issues.
No secrets. Willard and Providence coach Ed Cooley, who is in his 11th season there, are good friends, and each knows the other’s tactics well.
So, not surprisingly, their series has been fairly even. Willard holds an edge of 11-10. The last sweep was engineered by Seton Hall’s outstanding senior class of 2017-18.
Seton Hall could have swept last year. The first meeting seemed destined for double overtime but Reeves hit a disputed three from the left corner with 3.1 seconds left in OT for an 80-77 Friars’ victory. The shot itself wasn’t the problem. But before delivering the pass, current Brooklyn Net David Duke appeared to walk, like, well like Bambi on ice but no travel was called despite vehement Seton Hall protests.
Seton Hall held PC to 34% shooting in a 60-43 win on Feb. 3.
